You've been told Wikipedia is one encyclopedia. It is more than three hundred, each written by its own editors. An Arabic speaker, a German and an Israeli who look up the same man or the same militia get different first sentences. On the word "terror", English reads like the Arabic.
Below are the opening paragraphs of the same Wikipedia article in different language editions, as Wikipedia's own parser renders them, each linked to the exact revision we read on 13 September 2026. The original is given first; the English beneath it is our translation. The opening paragraph is the part search engines, AI assistants and most readers ever see. The English-language audit →
The four articles most readers ever open on this conflict. In each, count the editions that stand with the Arabic.
“The Gaza genocide is the ongoing, intentional, and systematic destruction of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip carried out by Israel during the Gaza war. It encompasses mass killings, the targeted killing of children (who account for 30% of those killed), deliberate starvation, infliction of serious bodily and mental harm, and prevention of births.”
الإبادة الجماعية لغزة هي التدمير والاستهداف الممنهج والمتعمد والمستمر للشعب الفلسطيني في قطاع غزة، والذي تنفذه إسرائيل خلال حرب غزة. وتشمل هذه الإبادة عمليات قتل جماعي، والتجويع المتعمد، وإلحاق الأذى الجسدي والنفسي بالسكان، ومنع الإنجاب.
“The Gaza genocide is the systematic, deliberate and ongoing destruction and targeting of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, carried out by Israel during the Gaza war. This genocide includes mass killings, deliberate starvation, infliction of physical and psychological harm on the population, and prevention of births.”
Völkermordvorwürfe gegen Israel im Gaza-Krieg seit 2023 wurden schon kurz nach den ersten israelischen Vergeltungsschlägen im Anschluss an den Terrorangriff der Hamas und anderer bewaffneter Gruppen am 7. Oktober 2023 laut.
“Genocide accusations against Israel in the Gaza war since 2023 were raised shortly after the first Israeli retaliatory strikes following the terror attack by Hamas and other armed groups on 7 October 2023.”
טענות לרצח עם ברצועת עזה הועלו במהלך מלחמת חרבות ברזל על ידי מספר גורמים בין-לאומיים, מומחים וחוקרים
“Claims of genocide in the Gaza Strip were raised during the Swords of Iron war by a number of international bodies, experts and researchers.”
Met de term genocide in Gaza wordt verwezen naar de genocide op de Palestijnen die Israël al dan niet gepleegd zou hebben tijdens de Gaza-oorlog vanaf 2023.
“The term genocide in Gaza refers to the genocide of the Palestinians that Israel may or may not have committed during the Gaza war from 2023.”
German, Hebrew and Russian title the article as an accusation; Dutch writes "may or may not"; Italian calls it "a name given" to Israel's military action. English states the charge as fact in its first sentence, and its short description reads “Ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip”. The Arabic opening is the English opening, clause for clause, in the same order. No court has found Israel guilty of genocide. Is it genocide? →
Title: “October 7 attacks”. “On October 7, 2023, a series of coordinated armed incursions from the blockaded Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel were carried out by Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.”
Der Terrorangriff der Hamas auf Israel 2023 (auch vereinfacht 7. Oktober) war mit 1195 überwiegend jüdischen Todesopfern das größte Massaker und Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit an Juden seit dem Holocaust.
Title: “Hamas terror attack on Israel 2023”. “The Hamas terror attack on Israel in 2023 (also simply October 7), with 1,195 mostly Jewish dead, was the largest massacre and crime against humanity against Jews since the Holocaust.”
L'attaque du Hamas contre Israël d'octobre 2023 est une série d'attentats terroristes palestiniens contre des localités civiles et bases militaires israéliennes du pourtour de la bande de Gaza.
“The Hamas attack on Israel of October 2023 is a series of Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israeli civilian communities and military bases around the Gaza Strip.”
טבח שבעה באוקטובר היה מתקפת פתע רחבת היקף שבוצעה על ידי ארגוני הטרור הפלסטיני מרצועת עזה נגד יעדים אזרחיים וצבאיים בישראל.
Title: “The October 7 Massacre”. “was a large-scale surprise attack carried out by the Palestinian terror organizations from the Gaza Strip against civilian and military targets in Israel.”
تُشير جميعها إلى العملية العسكرية الممتدّة التي شنّتها فصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية في قطاع غزة بقيادة حركة حماس على الاحتلال الإسرائيلي … ردًّا على «الانتهاكات الإسرائيلية في باحات المسجد الأقصى
Title: “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”, Hamas's own name for it. “all refer to the extended military operation launched by the Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip, led by Hamas, against the Israeli occupation … in response to ‘Israeli violations in the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque’.”
German, French, Italian and Hebrew say terror in the first sentence; German puts it in the title and Hebrew titles it a massacre. English's first sentence says "armed incursions" by "militant groups", the vocabulary of a border raid. Its own Wikidata line reads “terrorist attack and massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023 carried out by the Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorist Group Hamas”. October 7 →
“…is a Sunni Islamist Palestinian nationalist political organisation with a military wing known as the al-Qassam Brigades. It has governed the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007.”
ist eine palästinensische sunnitisch-islamistische Organisation, die international von 41 Staaten als terroristische Vereinigung eingestuft wird.
“is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamist organization classified by 41 states as a terrorist organization.”
È classificata come organizzazione terroristica da Israele, Stati Uniti, Unione europea, Regno Unito, Canada, Australia, Giappone e altri.
“It is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan and others.”
הוא ארגון טרור פלסטיני אסלאמיסטי-סוני הפועל גם כתנועה פוליטית … מטרתו המוצהרת היא הקמת מדינה אסלאמית פלסטינית על כל שטח ארץ ישראל, מהנהר לים, תוך שלילת קיומה של מדינת ישראל.
“is a Palestinian Islamist-Sunni terror organization that also operates as a political movement … Its declared goal is an Islamic Palestinian state on all the Land of Israel, from the river to the sea, negating the existence of the State of Israel.”
هي حركة فلسطينية، مقاومة، شعبية، إسلامية، وطنية … هدفها وهو تحرير فلسطين كاملة من النهر إلى البحر
“is a Palestinian, resistance, popular, Islamic, national movement … whose goal is the liberation of all of Palestine from the river to the sea.”
English is the only one of these five openings that states neither the terror designation nor the goal. Even the Arabic tells its reader Hamas wants everything "from the river to the sea". The English opening tells its reader that Gaza, which Israel left in 2005, is "Israeli-occupied". What the slogan means →
“Zionism is an ethnic nationalist movement that emerged in late 19th-century Europe to establish and support a Jewish homeland through colonization in the region of Palestine … Zionists wanted to create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land, as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible.”
سعت لإنشاء دولة قومية خاصّة لهم باستعمار بلاد خارج اوروبا، ومضت عبر حرب التطهير العرقي لفلسطين 1947–1948 لإنشاء إثنوقراطية يهودية في فلسطين
“sought to establish their own nation-state by colonizing lands outside Europe, and went through the war of ethnic cleansing of Palestine of 1947–1948 to establish a Jewish ethnocracy in Palestine.”
war eine ethnonationalistische Bewegung, die Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts in Reaktion auf Antisemitismus und Verfolgung in Europa entstand. Ihr Ziel war die Gründung eines Staates, in dem Juden sicher leben können.
“was an ethnonationalist movement that arose at the end of the 19th century in reaction to antisemitism and persecution in Europe. Its goal was the founding of a state in which Jews can live safely.”
צִיּוֹנוּת היא תנועה לאומית ואידאולוגיה שמטרתה קיום בית לאומי לעם היהודי בארץ ישראל ושמירה על קיומו.
“Zionism is a national movement and ideology whose aim is a national home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and safeguarding its existence.”
El sionismo es una ideología y un movimiento político nacionalista que propuso desde sus inicios el establecimiento de un Estado para el pueblo judío en Palestina, una región que corresponde a la antigua Tierra de Israel
“Zionism is an ideology and a nationalist political movement that proposed from its beginnings a state for the Jewish people in Palestine, a region corresponding to the ancient Land of Israel.”
Two editions open Zionism on colonization: English and Arabic. German opens on the antisemitism it answered; Hebrew, Spanish and Russian open on a people's national movement. English Wikipedia's own short description still reads “Jewish nationalist movement”. The article beneath it now reads like the Arabic. Race, religion or a people? →
Two groups the United States designates as terrorist organizations, and the European Union bans in whole or in its armed wing. Watch which editions say so.
“Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party with an active paramilitary wing whose military and security activities have been prohibited by the Lebanese government since March 2026.”
היא מפלגה אסלאמיסטית-שיעית, ארגון טרור וכוח צבאי למחצה בלבנון.
“is an Islamist-Shia party, a terror organization and a paramilitary force in Lebanon.”
ist eine islamistisch-schiitische Partei und terroristische Organisation im Libanon, die sich hauptsächlich durch Unterstützung seitens Irans und durch eigene kriminelle Geschäfte finanziert.
“is an Islamist-Shia party and terrorist organization in Lebanon, financed mainly by support from Iran and by its own criminal businesses.”
حِزبُ الله أو المقاومة الإسلامية في لبنان هو حزب سياسي إسلامي شيعي مسلح مقره في لبنان تأسس عام 1982، وهو جزء من محور المقاومة الذي تقوده إيران ضد الولايات المتحدة وإسرائيل وحلفائهم في الشرق الأوسط
“Hezbollah, or the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, is an armed Shia Islamic political party based in Lebanon, founded in 1982, and part of the Axis of Resistance led by Iran against the United States, Israel and their allies in the Middle East.”
English Wikipedia's own entry in Wikidata, the database that feeds search panels, describes Hezbollah as an “Iranian-backed Shia Islamist political party and terrorist organization in Lebanon”. The article it describes does not.
“…commonly known simply as Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), is an Islamist Palestinian paramilitary organization formed in 1981.”
ist eine palästinensische islamistische Terrororganisation mit Sitz im Gazastreifen und Politbüro in Damaskus (Syrien).
“is a Palestinian Islamist terrorist organization based in the Gaza Strip with a politburo in Damascus (Syria).”
הוא ארגון טרור פלסטיני בעל אידאולוגיה ג'יהאדיסטית, פונדמנטליסטית, לאומנית ואנטי-ציונית.
“is a Palestinian terror organization with a jihadist, fundamentalist, nationalist and anti-Zionist ideology.”
وشملت عملياتها التفجيرات الاستشهادية والهجمات على الجنود الإسرائيليين بالإضافة إلى إطلاق صواريخ على إسرائيل … علي رأس أهدافها هو تحرير كامل فلسطين، وتصفية الكيان الصهيوني، وإقامة حكم الإسلام على أرض فلسطين
“Its operations have included martyrdom bombings, attacks on Israeli soldiers and rocket fire on Israel … At the head of its goals is the liberation of all of Palestine, the liquidation of the Zionist entity, and the establishment of Islamic rule over the land of Palestine.”
Arabic Wikipedia is candid about the goal: liquidating Israel. It calls the suicide bombings "martyrdom" in its own voice. English Wikipedia's opening calls the group paramilitary and stops.
A founder, a hijacker, a convicted murderer.
“…was a Palestinian politician and imam who founded Hamas, an Islamist political and military organization.”
היה אימאם שייסד והנהיג את ארגון הטרור "חמאס", והעניק ביסוס תאולוגי וחותם דתי לטרור.
“was an imam who founded and led the terror organization Hamas, and gave terror a theological foundation and a religious seal.”
war ein palästinensischer Muslimbruder. Er war einer der führenden Gründer der islamistischen Terrororganisation Hamas.
“was a Palestinian Muslim Brother. He was one of the leading founders of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas.”
داعية، ومجاهد، من أعلام الدعوة الإسلامية في فلسطين … أصبح في ظل الاحتلال الإسرائيلي أشهر خطيب عرفه قطاع غزة لقوة حجّته وجسارته في الحق.
“a preacher and a mujahid, one of the leading figures of Islamic preaching in Palestine … Under the Israeli occupation he became the most famous preacher the Gaza Strip had known, for the strength of his argument and his boldness in the truth.”
“…is a Palestinian activist and former militant who is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). She is famous for her role in two plane-hijackings.”
ist ein führendes Mitglied der Terrororganisation Volksfront zur Befreiung Palästinas (PFLP) und war eine der ersten Flugzeugentführerinnen der Geschichte.
“is a leading member of the terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and was one of the first women aircraft hijackers in history.”
היא מחבלת בארגון החזית העממית לשחרור פלסטין וחברה במועצה הלאומית הפלסטינית.
“is a terrorist in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and a member of the Palestinian National Council.”
سياسية وناشطة فلسطينية وعضو في المكتب السياسي للجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين … وهي العمليات التي هدفت الجبهة من خلالها إلى تسليط الضوء العالمي على القضية الفلسطينية وإطلاق سراح المعتقلين.
“a Palestinian politician and activist and member of the political bureau of the PFLP … operations through which the Front aimed to draw global attention to the Palestinian cause and free prisoners.”
The one-line description in Wikidata is where it is starkest. English: “Palestinian refugee, former militant, and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine”. Arabic: لاجئة فلسطينية، مناضلة سابقة، وعضو الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين, word for word “Palestinian refugee, former fighter, and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine”. German: “palästinensische Terroristin”. The English line is the Arabic line.
“…is a Palestinian politician who has served as an elected legislator of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Barghouti is currently on life imprisonment by Israel due to his alleged involvement in deadly attacks during the Second Intifada.”
es un político palestino miembro del Consejo Legislativo Palestino, que ha sido condenado y está encarcelado por asesinato en Israel.
“is a Palestinian politician, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, who has been convicted and is imprisoned for murder in Israel.”
הוא טרוריסט ופוליטיקאי פלסטיני, חבר הוועד המרכזי של פת"ח.
“is a terrorist and Palestinian politician, a member of Fatah's Central Committee.”
هو سياسي فلسطيني بارز، وأحد الرموز القيادية الفلسطينية، أعتقل عدة مرات على أيدي قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي … حيث انتخب نائبا للشهيد القائد فيصل الحسيني
“is a prominent Palestinian politician and one of the symbols of Palestinian leadership, arrested several times by the forces of the Israeli occupation … elected deputy to the martyr leader Faisal Husseini.”
An Israeli court convicted Barghouti in 2004 and, as Italian Wikipedia's opening puts it, handed down five life sentences. English Wikipedia's opening calls his involvement "alleged". Spanish calls it murder.
Who ran the ministry, and who the dead were.
“The Gaza Health Ministry (GHM), officially the Palestinian Ministry of Health – Gaza, is responsible for managing healthcare and medical services in the Gaza Strip. The health ministry's casualty reports have received significant attention during the course of the Gaza–Israel conflict. Its numbers have historically been considered reliable by the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and Human Rights Watch.”
وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية في غزة هي الوكالة الحكومية المسؤولة عن الرعاية الصحية والخدمات الطبية في قطاع غزة. وهي تعمل تحت إدارة سلطة حماس التي تدير المنطقة منذ عام 2007.
“The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza is the government agency responsible for health care and medical services in the Gaza Strip. It operates under the administration of the Hamas authority that has run the area since 2007.”
הוא משרד הבריאות של ממשלת חמאס ברצועת עזה
“is the health ministry of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.”
Depuis 2007, ce territoire est contrôlé par le Hamas.
“Since 2007 this territory has been controlled by Hamas.”
Arabic, Hebrew, German and French all tell the reader in the opening who runs the ministry whose casualty figures the world quotes. The English opening spends its words on the figures' reliability and never names Hamas. Its own Wikidata line does: “under the jurisdiction of the territory's Hamas government”.
“…was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its occupation from 2000. Initially sparked by civilian protests in Jerusalem and areas within Israel proper, the uprising escalated into a prolonged period of heightened violence.”
Im Unterschied zur Ersten Intifada setzten radikale Palästinenser auf Terroranschläge in Israel, insbesondere auf Selbstmordattentate, auf die die israelische Armee mit Vergeltungsaktionen reagierte.
“Unlike the First Intifada, radical Palestinians relied on terror attacks in Israel, especially suicide bombings, to which the Israeli army responded with retaliatory operations.”
הייתה התקוממות פלסטינית אלימה נגד מדינת ישראל, שהחלה בסוף ספטמבר 2000.
“was a violent Palestinian uprising against the State of Israel, which began at the end of September 2000.”
وأما خسائر الجيش الإسرائيلي تعدادها 334 قتيل ومن المستوطنين 735 قتيل … وعطب 50 دبابة من نوع ميركافا
“As for the losses of the Israeli army, they number 334 killed, and of the settlers 735 killed … and 50 Merkava tanks disabled.”
Arabic Wikipedia files Israel's civilian dead as "settlers", including the teenagers murdered outside the Tel Aviv Dolphinarium and the families at the Passover seder in Netanya's Park Hotel, then counts damaged tanks. Wikidata's one-line English description, “Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation”, matches the Arabic one word for word. The Hebrew one reads “wave of Palestinian terror against Israel”.